Deputy Chairmen of Committees

That, as proposed by the Committee of Selection, the following members be appointed as the panel of members to act as Deputy Chairmen of Committees for this session:

B Anelay of St Johns, L Bassam of Brighton, L Brougham and Vaux, L Colwyn, B Fookes, L Geddes, B Gibson of Market Rasen, B Gould of Potternewton, B Harris of Richmond L Haskel, B Hooper, B McIntosh of Hudnall, C Mar, L Paul, B Pitkeathley, V Simon, V Ullswater.

Administration and Works Committee

That a Select Committee be appointed to consider administrative services, accommodation and works, including works relating to security, within the strategic framework and financial limits approved by the House Committee;

That, as proposed by the Committee of Selection, the following members together with the Chairman of Committees be appointed to the Committee:

B Anelay of St Johns, L Bassam of Brighton, L Brougham and Vaux, L Cameron of Dillington, L Campbell-Savours, B D’Souza, Bp Exeter, B Harris of Richmond, B McIntosh of Hudnall, L Mancroft, L Rowe-Beddoe, L Shutt of Greetland.

That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records;

That the Committee have leave to report from time to time.

Communications Committee

That a Select Committee be appointed to consider communications and that, as proposed by the Committee of Selection, the following members be appointed to the Committee:

B Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury, B Eccles of Moulton, L Fowler (Chairman), L Gordon of Strathblane, B Howe of Idlicote, L Inglewood, L King of Bridgwater, L Macdonald of Tradeston, B McIntosh of Hudnall, Bp Manchester, L Maxton, L St John of Bletso, B Scott of Needham Market.

That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records;

That the Committee have power to appoint specialist advisers;

That the Committee have power to adjourn from place to place;

That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;

That the Reports of the Committee shall be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House;

That the evidence taken by the Committee in the last Session of Parliament be referred to the Committee;

That the evidence taken by the Committee shall, if the Committee so wishes, be published.

Consolidation etc. Bills Committee

In accordance with Standing Order 52, that, as proposed by the Committee of Selection, the following Lords be appointed to join with a Committee of the Commons as the Joint Committee on Consolidation etc. Bills:

L Acton, L Campbell of Alloway, L Carswell (Chairman), L Christopher, V Colville of Culross, E Dundee, L Eames, B Fookes, L Janner of Braunstone, B Mallalieu, L Methuen, L Razzall.

That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records.

Constitution Committee

That a Select Committee be appointed to examine the constitutional implications of all public bills coming before the House; and to keep under review the operation of the constitution;

That, as proposed by the Committee of Selection, the following members be appointed to the Committee:

L Goodlad (Chairman), L Hart of Chilton, L Irvine of Lairg, B Jay of Paddington, L Lyell of Markyate, L Norton of Louth, L Pannick, B Quin, L Rodgers of Quarry Bank, L Shaw of Northstead, L Wallace of Tankerness, L Woolf.

That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records;

That the Committee have power to appoint specialist advisers;

That the Committee have power to adjourn from place to place;

That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;

That the Reports of the Committee shall be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House;

That the evidence taken by the Committee in the last Session of Parliament be referred to the Committee;

That the evidence taken by the Committee shall, if the Committee so wishes, be published.

Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee

That a Select Committee be appointed to report whether the provisions of any Bill inappropriately delegate legislative power, or whether they subject the exercise of legislative power to an inappropriate degree of parliamentary scrutiny; to report on documents and draft orders laid before Parliament under Sections 14 and 18 of the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006; and to perform, in respect of such draft orders, and in respect of subordinate provisions orders made or proposed to be made under the Regulatory Reform Act 2001, the functions performed in respect of other instruments and draft instruments by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments;

That, as proposed by the Committee of Selection, the following members be appointed to the Committee:

L Armstrong of Ilminster, L Blackwell, L Boyd of Duncansby, L Butler of Brockwell, V Eccles, L Goodhart (Chairman), L Haskel, L Mayhew of Twysden, L Razzall, L Soley.

That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records;

That the Committee have power to appoint specialist advisers;

That the Committee have power to adjourn from place to place within the United Kingdom.

Economic Affairs Committee

That a Select Committee be appointed to consider economic affairs and that, as proposed by the Committee of Selection, the following members be appointed to the Committee:

L Best, L Currie of Marylebone, L Eatwell, L Forsyth of Drumlean, L Griffiths of Fforestfach, B Hamwee, B Kingsmill, L Levene of Portsoken, L Lipsey, L MacGregor of Pulham Market, L Moonie, L Tugendhat, L Vallance of Tummel (Chairman).

That the Committee have power to appoint a sub-committee and to refer to it any of the matters within the Committee’s terms of reference; that the Committee have power to appoint the Chairman of the sub-committee;

That the Committee have power to co-opt any member to serve on the sub-committee;

That the Committee and its sub-committee have power to send for persons, papers and records;

That the Committee and its sub-committee have power to appoint specialist advisers;

That the Committee and its sub-committee have power to adjourn from place to place;

That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;

That the Reports of the Committee shall be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House;

That the evidence taken by the Committee in the last Session of Parliament be referred to the Committee;

That the evidence taken by the Committee or its sub-committee shall, if the Committee so wishes, be published.

House Committee

That a Select Committee be appointed to set the policy framework for the administration of the House and to provide non-executive guidance to the Management Board; to approve the House’s strategic, business and financial plans; to agree the annual Estimates and Supplementary Estimates; to supervise the arrangements relating to Members’ expenses; and to approve the House of Lords Annual Report;

That, as proposed by the Committee of Selection, the following members be appointed to the Committee:

L Baker of Dorking, L Brabazon of Tara, L Bradley, L Craig of Radley, B D’Souza, B Hayman (Chairman), B Hollis of Heigham, L McNally, B Royall of Blaisdon, L Strathclyde, L Tordoff, L Wakeham.

That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records;

That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;

That the Reports of the Committee shall be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House.

Human Rights Committee

That a Select Committee of six members be appointed to join with the Committee appointed by the Commons as the Joint Committee on Human Rights:

To consider:

(a) matters relating to human rights in the United Kingdom (but excluding consideration of individual cases);

(b) proposals for remedial orders, draft remedial orders and remedial orders made under Section 10 of and laid under Schedule 2 to the Human Rights Act 1998; and

(c) in respect of draft remedial orders and remedial orders, whether the special attention of the House should be drawn to them on any of the grounds specified in Standing Order 74 (Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments);

To report to the House:

(a) in relation to any document containing proposals laid before the House under paragraph 3 of the said Schedule 2, its recommendation whether a draft order in the same terms as the proposals should be laid before the House; or

(b) in relation to any draft order laid under paragraph 2 of the said Schedule 2, its recommendation whether the draft Order should be approved;

and to have power to report to the House on any matter arising from its consideration of the said proposals or draft orders; and

To report to the House in respect of any original order laid under paragraph 4 of the said Schedule 2, its recommendation whether:

(a) the order should be approved in the form in which it was originally laid before Parliament; or

(b) the order should be replaced by a new order modifying the provisions of the original order; or

(c) the order should not be approved;

and to have power to report to the House on any matter arising from its consideration of the said order or any replacement order;

That the following members be appointed to the Committee:

L Bowness, L Dubs, B Falkner of Margravine, L Morris of Handsworth, E Onslow, B Prashar.

That the Committee have power to agree with the Committee appointed by the Commons in the appointment of a Chairman;

That the quorum of the Committee shall be two;

That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records;

That the Committee have power to appoint specialist advisers;

That the Committee have power to adjourn from place to place;

That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;

That the Reports of the Committee shall be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House;

That the evidence taken by the Committee in the last Session of Parliament be referred to the Committee;

That the evidence taken by the Committee shall, if the Committee so wishes, be published.

Hybrid Instruments Committee

That a Select Committee be appointed to consider hybrid instruments and that, as proposed by the Committee of Selection, the following members together with the Chairman of Committees be appointed to the Committee:

L Campbell of Alloway, B Fookes, L Grantchester, L Harrison, L Luke, L Quirk, L Sandberg.

That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records.

Information Committee

That a Select Committee be appointed to consider information and communications services, including the Library and the Parliamentary Archives, within the strategic framework and financial limits approved by the House Committee;

That, as proposed by the Committee of Selection, the following members be appointed to the Committee:

B Billingham, B Coussins, E Erroll, L Feldman, B Gibson of Market Rasen, L Haskel, L Kirkwood of Kirkhope, L Rennard, L Renton of Mount Harry (Chairman), L St John of Bletso, L Selsdon, L Taylor of Warwick.

That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records;

That the Committee have leave to report from time to time.

Liaison Committee

That a Select Committee be appointed to advise the House on the resources required for select committee work and to allocate resources between select committees; to review the select committee work of the House; to consider requests for ad hoc committees and report to the House with recommendations; to ensure effective co-ordination between the two Houses; and to consider the availability of members to serve on committees;

That, as proposed by the Committee of Selection, the following members together with the Chairman of Committees be appointed to the Committee:

B Corston, B D’Souza, L Fellowes, L McNally, B Perry of Southwark, B Royall of Blaisdon, L Strathclyde, B Thomas of Winchester, L Wakeham.

That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records;

That the Committee have power to appoint specialist advisers;

That the Committee have leave to report from time to time.

Procedure of the House Committee

That the Select Committee on Procedure of the House be appointed and that, as proposed by the Committee of Selection, the following members together with the Chairman of Committees be appointed to the Committee:

B Anelay of St Johns, L Bassam of Brighton, B D’Souza, B Gould of Potternewton, L Harries of Pentregarth, B Hayman, L Jopling, L Low of Dalston, L McNally, B Royall of Blaisdon, B Shephard of Northwold, L Shutt of Greetland, L Strathclyde, B Thomas of Winchester, L Tyler, V Ullswater, B Wall of New Barnet.

That the following members be appointed as alternate members:

L Dubs, B Hamwee, L Hunt of Wirral, L Palmer (alternate for the Convenor of the Crossbench peers), V Slim.

That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records;

That the Committee have leave to report from time to time.

Refreshment Committee

That a Select Committee be appointed to advise on the refreshment services provided for the House, within the strategic framework and financial limits approved by the House Committee;

That, as proposed by the Committee of Selection, the following members together with the Chairman of Committees be appointed to the Committee:

L Brougham and Vaux, L Davies of Oldham, L Elder, B Fritchie, L Geddes, L Glenarthur, B Henig, L Lee of Trafford, V Montgomery of Alamein, B Rendell of Babergh, L Skidelsky, B Thomas of Winchester.

That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records;

That the Committee have leave to report from time to time.

Science and Technology Committee

That a Select Committee be appointed to consider science and technology and that, as proposed by the Committee of Selection, the following members be appointed to the Committee:

L Broers, L Colwyn, L Crickhowell, L Cunningham of Felling, L Haskel, L Krebs, L May of Oxford, L Methuen, B Neuberger, E Northesk, L O’Neill of Clackmannan, B Perry of Southwark, L Sutherland of Houndwood (Chairman), L Warner.

That the Committee have power to appoint sub-committees and that the Committee have power to appoint the Chairmen of sub-committees;

That the Committee have power to co-opt any member to serve on the Committee or a sub-committee;

That the Committee and its sub-committees have power to send for persons, papers and records;

That the Committee and its sub-committees have power to appoint specialist advisers;

That the Committee and its sub-committees have power to adjourn from place to place;

That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;

That the Reports of the Committee shall be printed, regardless of any adjournment of the House;

That the evidence taken by the Committee or its sub-committees in the last session of Parliament be referred to the Committee or its sub-committees;

That the evidence taken by the Committee or its sub-committees shall, if the Committee so wishes, be published.

Standing Orders (Private Bills) Committee

That a Select Committee on the Standing Orders relating to private bills be appointed and that, as proposed by the Committee of Selection, the following members together with the Chairman of Committees be appointed to the Committee:

L Geddes, B Gould of Potternewton, L Luke, L Naseby, L Palmer, V Simon, B Thomas of Walliswood.

That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records.

Statutory Instruments Committee

In accordance with Standing Order 74 and the resolution of the House of 16 December 1997, that, as proposed by the Committee of Selection, the following members be appointed to join with a Committee of the Commons as the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments:

L Campbell of Alloway, L Clinton-Davis, B Jones of Whitchurch, L Kimball, C Mar, E Mar and Kellie, L Walpole.

That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records.

Tax Law Rewrite Bills Committee

That a Select Committee of six members be appointed to join with the Committee appointed by the Commons to consider tax law rewrite bills, and in particular to consider whether each bill committed to it preserves the effect of the existing law, subject to any minor changes which may be desirable;

That, as proposed by the Committee of Selection, the following members be appointed to the Committee:

L Blackwell, L Goodhart, B Goudie, L Haskel, L Millett, L Newton of Braintree.

That the Committee have power to agree with the Committee appointed by the Commons in the appointment of a Chairman;

That the quorum of the Committee shall be two;

That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records;

That the Committee have power to appoint specialist advisers;

That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;

That the evidence taken by the Committee shall, if the Committee so wishes, be published;

That the procedure of the Joint Committee shall follow the procedure of select committees of the House of Commons when such procedure differs from that of select committees of this House, and shall include the power of the Chairman to select amendments.

Works of Art Committee

That a Select Committee be appointed to administer the House of Lords Works of Art Collection Fund; and to consider matters relating to works of art and the artistic heritage in the House of Lords, within the strategic framework and financial limits approved by the House Committee;

That, as proposed by the Committee of Selection, the following members be appointed to the Committee:

V Falkland (Chairman), B Gale, B Howells of St Davids, L Luke, B Massey of Darwen, E Shrewsbury, L Smith of Clifton, L Stevenson of Coddenham, L Thomas of Swynnerton, B Trumpington, B Valentine, L Waddington.

That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records;

That the Committee have leave to report from time to time.

Parliamentary Broadcasting Unit Limited (PARBUL)

That, as proposed by the Committee of Selection, the following members be appointed to the Board of the Parliamentary Broadcasting Unit Limited (PARBUL):

B Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury, L Brabazon of Tara, L Naseby, L Paul.

Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST)

That, as proposed by the Committee of Selection, the following Lords be appointed to the Board of the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST):

L Oxburgh, L Sutherland of Houndwood, L Taylor of Warwick, L Winston.

My Lords, this is slightly unusual in that, in previous years, there has been a long succession of committee appointments, lasting many days. I hoped it would be convenient for the House—and certainly for me—to move all the remaining committees, other than the two which I moved yesterday, en bloc.

As I observed earlier, I was not sure when I should ask my question. At the third time of asking, I think I have the appropriate point. I will not repeat all that I said earlier. I am anxious to ensure that we find a mechanism whereby we review some of the procedures that we were following; review the extent to which there is an opportunity for all Members of this House to play a part in it; and provide the opportunity for people to pursue issues that they believe are in the best interests of the House, yet increasingly find it difficult not only to air them but to get anything about them acted on. If we look at the example which has been set by the Wright committee in the other place, we have an opportunity to do that. I ask which committee will deal with this; how quickly will it deal with it; and if it is not going to be dealt with, why not?

My Lords, to reply briefly, I am well aware of the views expressed by my noble friend and the fact that these views are shared by many people around this Chamber, not least my noble friend Lord Rooker, the noble Lord, Lord Higgins, and various others who spoke on the second day of the gracious Speech, in relation to the Constitutional Reform Bill and other issues.

Obviously, the Wright committee dealt with issues pertaining to the House of Commons, but many of those issues will have implications for this House. There are many other issues that people in this House wish to address. At present, I am not sure that there is a relevant committee. I will take this matter back to the usual channels, the Lord Speaker and others in this Chamber to see how best we can find a mechanism for addressing some of these issues, which are of great concern to Members of this House.

During that consideration, would the noble Baroness the Leader of the House—bearing in mind the increase in the number of committees—consider whether Members should appoint the committees and, indeed, the chairmen of committees?

My Lords, before the noble Baroness replies, in following up the point made by the noble Lord, Lord Stoddart of Swindon, perhaps I may press her about the absence of a Foreign Affairs Select Committee or a committee to look at foreign affairs issues in this House. There is massive expertise in all parts of the Chamber, not least the presence of former Foreign Secretaries, former heads of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Diplomatic Service, and former ambassadors. Given that, why do we have no committee of that nature, to which Members of your Lordships’ House could contribute so much expertise?

My Lords, both noble Lords who have addressed this matter have raised important points. I will take these back and come to the House in the not-too-distant future with some responses.